


Tyrannosaurus? Like the dinosaur?

by angelsfalling16



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Angst with a Happy Ending, Baz and Simon are college students, Ebb owns a little shop, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Sharing a Bed, SnowBaz, Snowed In, and she fostered Simon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-10-19 16:37:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17604983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelsfalling16/pseuds/angelsfalling16
Summary: Anon on Tumblr requested a non-magic au where Simon is obsessed with dinosaurs, and when he sees Baz' full name, he becomes interested in this guy who is (basically) named tyrannosaurus.Simon enters a bookshop where Baz works, and they start talking, both clearly attracted to each other. They start to hang out together, but neither of them know whether this thing between them is more than just friendship. Then, they get snowed-in and have to spend the night together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I would not have been able to write this without the help of @mybrianisfried @watfordwallflower and @dead-meme-dad on Tumblr. I know nothing about dinosaurs, and they were all kind enough to help me and let me use the things that they said in my fic. So, a lot of what Simon says when he is rambling are things that they said to me. Thank you all! I really appreciate it.

**Simon**

I browse up and down the aisles of the small bookstore that sits downtown, nestled between an old laundry mat and a used clothing store. It seems really empty in here compared to the other bookstores I’ve been to on my hunt for these books.

Even though this bookstore is close to campus, it’s the first time that I’ve been here since I started college back in the fall. My eyes light upon the last book that I came here looking for today, and I realize that I should have come here a lot sooner.

I pull the book from the shelf and approach the counter. There’s a boy who looks to be about my age sitting behind it, his nose buried in a book. He doesn’t look up as I walk up to him. His shoulder-length, dark hair would probably be falling into his face if it wasn’t being held away from his face by the beanie that he’s wearing. The boy is wearing all black, from his beanie, to his jacket, to his artfully ripped jeans. Even the stud in his nose is black. It all looks nice on him, though.

I really should have come here sooner.

I set my books down on the counter, but he still doesn’t look up at me. I glance at his nametag and smile.

**Baz**

“Tyrannosaurus? Like the dinosaur?” A voice says.

I look up and find a boy with the plainest blue eyes and messiest bronze hair staring at my nametag. He looks confused, and he isn’t wearing a jacket even though it’s freezing outside. He seems like a disaster, but the whole look seems to be doing it for him because he’s really cute with his white t-shirt and worn jeans.

“Can’t you read?” I sneer. God, why can’t I be nice to cute boys? “That’s not what is says.”

“Oh.” He sounds severely disappointed. “I like dinosaurs he mumbles.”

“My name is Tyrannus,” I say, sounding out the syllables. “I’m nothing like a dinosaur, and I go by Baz anyway.”

“You’re tall and scary like one,” the boy says, and he seems surprised that those words left his mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean—.”

“It’s fine,” I tell him, finding himself laughing at how cute this boy is. I start ringing him up, and he keeps talking, like he can’t seem to make himself stop.

“Do you have a favorite dinosaur?”

“A favorite one? Do people have favorite dinosaurs?”

“Of course, they do.”

“I don’t really know anything about dinosaurs,” I admit before giving him his total.

“I have books about them,” he says, handing me some money.

“Like this one?” I ask, holding up one of the books that I just rang up for him.

He nods. “You could come over, and we could pick one.”

“Pick one?” I ask, confused. I count out his change and hand it to him.

“A favorite dinosaur for you.” He’s serious. He wants me to come over to his dorm room or apartment or whatever and look at dinosaur books.

“Okay.” And apparently, I’m agreeing to it. I’m a fool.

“When do you get off work?” He asks leaning forward onto the counter, next to his newly bought books.

“Five,” I hear myself saying before I even make the conscious decision to tell him.

“Cool. My apartment isn’t too far from here, and I think my roommates will all be out tonight.” He pauses before adding, “I’m Simon by the way.”

I’m sure he doesn’t mean for it to sound like we’ll have the freedom to do whatever we want in his empty apartment, but that’s how it comes across. He scribbles something down on a piece of paper that I have no idea where he got because I was too busy watching the way that his hair falls into his eyes, showing off his pierced ears. He places the paper into my hand before picking up the books that he purchased and leaving.

I look down and realize that he just gave me both his address and phone number. Who is this guy, and why does he seem so trusting of strangers? I stuff the paper into my pocket, hoping that I’ll forget about the mysterious blue-eyed boy and telling myself that I’m not going to go to his apartment when I get off of work.

Yet, somehow, I find myself pulling the paper out of my pocket and looking up the address when Niall comes into the store for his shift.

“Hot date?” He asks me, eyeing the paper in my hand and the look on my face where there is a faint smile left over from when Simon was here earlier. I haven’t been able to fully remove it since he walked in. There’s just something about him.

“Not exactly.” The boy _was_ hot, but this definitely isn’t a date.

**Simon**

I’m pacing back and forth in my room, chewing on my thumbnail, and freaking out. It’s just after five, and it has suddenly hit me that I invited some strange boy over, just because he’s cute and smelled nice. (Like cedar and bergamot and old books.)

I should text Penny. I should tell her that I’ve done something stupid (again) and need her help. I haven’t even pulled my phone all the way out of my pocket yet when someone knocks on the door. It’s too late now. I’m just going to have to deal with this myself.

Who even agrees to go over to some strange guy’s apartment anyway? No one good, that’s who.

I open the door to the apartment, and he’s standing there, looking exactly as he did before, except his cheeks and nose are red from the cold air.

“Are you going to invite me in, or are we going to stand out here all night?” He sneers.

Ugh. Why did I invite him over again?

I wordlessly step back and open the door for him, gesturing for him to come in. He pulls off his gloves and unwinds his scarf from around his neck.

“My room is over here,” I say, turning away from him.

He follows me into my room and looks around. His expression is unreadable, and I feel like he’s judging me. I’m suddenly glad that I thought to clean up and make my bed before he got here.

“You can set your stuff on the bed if you want,” I tell him as he starts to pull his off his jacket, and he nods silently. I bite my lip and try not to stare at the way that his sweater clings to his fit body.

“So, dinosaurs?” He says after a quiet minute.

“Right.” I move over to my bookshelf and skim the titles until I found the one that I’m looking over. “Aha.”

I carry it over to my bed and sit down on the edge and wait for him to join me. He eyes me warily before sitting down beside me.

“Here. You can look through the pictures, and they all have short descriptions about them. This one is my favorite,” I say, opening the book up to the page that I have marked.

“The t-rex?” He asks. At first, I think that he’s making fun of me, but then I realize that he seems curious.

“Yes. Look at him. He’s the definition of something that looks like it could kill you but is really a cinnamon roll. He’s vicious at first glance, but he turns out to be really sweet. And he’s really big and thinks that he’s tough, but he’s not. He’s just angry that he has baby arms. And his roar sounds like he’s Simba trying to be Mufasa."

**Baz**

He’s rambling, but he’s so adorable doing it. He genuinely enjoys talking about dinosaurs, and I don’t think I’ve ever been that happy talking about anything.

He keeps talking, turning the page and pointing out different ones, telling me about them. He seriously wants me to pick my favorite. Maybe I should if it means that I’ll get to see that smile on his face directed at me.

“The velociraptor is like the kid of a T-Rex,” he says before turning the page again. “And the oviraptor is an egg stealer.” He actually sounds bitter as he says this. It’s cute.

He turns the page again and says, “the triceratops is horny.” His entire body seems to still as he realizes what he said. “Uh, I mean, he-he has horns. Lots of them.”

Gosh, now he’s blushing and stumbling over his words, and I can’t help but find it adorable. I have to save him, though, so I take the book and flip through it until I find one that I like.

“This one,” I say, pointing at the page. “The Diplodocus.”

**Simon**

I just barely stop myself from laughing. Of course, he would pick one of the scary looking dinosaurs. It looks big enough that it could stomp other dinosaurs and kill anything that gets in its way. It’s too bad that it is actually just a harmless herbivore. It was one of the longest of the dinosaurs, though, so I’ll give him that.

“What?” He asks. “Is that not a good dinosaur?” He sounds a little offended, so I hurry to amend that.

“No, it’s a good one. Just not as scary as it looks.” Like you, I want to add.

“It’s still cool,” he says quietly.

I nod silently, gazing into his dark grey eyes. After an awkward beat, he looks away.

“So, which one is this?” He asks, leaning over and picking up the stuffed dinosaur that is resting on my bed.

“The stegosaurus. His name is Steggie,” I tell him, and I don’t know why I do. I can’t seem to shut up now that he’s here. He’s going to think that I’m weird and not want to hang out again.

He smiles at me, but he doesn’t make fun of me like I thought that he would. “Why do you have a stuffed animal of this one but not of your favorite one?” He asks softly, still wearing that fond smile.

“It’s the only thing that I have left from my mom.”

Why did I tell him that? I literally could have said anything else that wouldn’t have resulted in the smile slipping from his face.

“Oh,” he says so quietly that I barely hear him. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” I tell him. “It’s not your fault.”

He was just curious, and I went and turned the mood somber. There’s no way that he’ll ever want to hang out with me again now. I do want him to. I barely know him, but for some reason, I feel drawn to him.

**Baz**

I didn’t mean to upset him. I should have just kept my mouth shut. I look at the stuffed dinosaur in my hand, and I notice how good it looks, considering the fact that he’s probably had it since he was really little. He must really care about it, and I just made him feel bad about it. I’m so stupid. I gingerly set it back down on his bed and turn back to him, hoping that I can get out of here without offending him any more than I already have.

He’s still watching me, but I can’t bring myself to make eye contact with him again. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was mad at me. He probably thinks that I was making fun of him about the stuffed animal, which I really wasn’t trying to do. He’ll probably never want me to come over again.

I want to apologize again, but I choose to stay quiet and look back down at the double page spread of the Diplodocus.

**Simon**

I watch him as he gets really quiet, and his eyes move from side to side as he reads what little information is on the page about the dinosaur that he has chosen. His eyelashes are long and cast shadows over his cheeks as he looks down at the book. He’s avoiding looking at me, and I don’t blame him.

When he looks back up from the book, our faces seem like they are closer than they were before. I can feel his breath ghost across my face, and I want to move closer to him. He shuts the book and sets it behind him on the bed, so I lean my face imperceptibly closer to his, turning my body so that I’m facing him now.

Our lips are only a few inches apart now. His eyes flicker down to my mouth then back up to my eyes. I expect him to move away once he realizes how close we are, but he doesn’t. Instead, he places his hand on the bed beside me so that he can lean forward, but he stops just short of our lips meeting.

We’re breathing the same air now. His exhales are my inhales and vice versa. I slide my hand across the bed so that the tips of our fingers just barely touch.

“You’re like a t-rex,” I murmur, seemingly out of the blue.

“What?” He asks frowning. “Why? Because of my name?” He rolls his eyes at me.

“No,” I say leaning in even closer so that my lips brush against his as I talk. “Because you’re tough on the outside, but you’re actually really sweet.”

I think that he is about to protest, but I kiss him before he gets the chance.

His mouth fits perfectly with mine, and I tilt my head to the side and press forward. His lips are soft, so soft, and he tastes like mint. His hand comes to rest on my cheek, and after a moment. I lift my hand to pull the beanie from his head so that I can run my fingers through his hair, causing him to smile into the kiss.

There’s a sudden noise outside of my bedroom, and we jump apart. It was just someone slamming the front door, but now there are also loud voices.

“My roommates,” I say quietly, knowing that the moment between me and Baz has been effectively ruined.

“I should go,” he says, standing up. He quickly slips his jacket back on and picks up his gloves and scarf.

“Right,” I say, disappointed.

“I have your number, though. I’ll text you.”

I look up to meet his eyes as he winds his scarf around his neck, and he’s smiling at me. I hope he’s serious about that because I think that I could really like him.

“Goodbye, Simon,” he says, leaning down to kiss me one last time. I start to stand up when he pulls away, but he says that can he walk himself out.

“Bye, Baz,” I say quietly, watching him walk out of my room.

I lay back on my bed and close my eyes. I lie there thinking about Baz until one of my roommates barges in and tells me that they’re going out for dinner and that I should come with. I reluctantly join them, and no one mentions the boy that left my room. I shouldn’t be surprised though; they don’t know what happened between us. They probably think that he’s just a friend.

I don’t know what he is.

**Baz**

It’s been two weeks since I met the mysterious blue-eyed boy. I’m sitting on the same stool where I was when he walked up to me to buy his books, and I can’t stop thinking about him, which makes it difficult to focus on the book that I’m attempting to read.

The bell above the door rings, signally that we have another customer. I glance at the door, and I’m surprised to find him standing there, as if I wished him into existence.

“That’s mine,” I say, eyeing the beanie that’s on his head. “You said that you didn’t know where it was.”

“I didn’t,” he says, smirking at me. “I found it this morning.”

I consider asking for it back for a moment, but I decide that it looks better on him. I can always buy another one anyway. He steps over to the counter and sets a bag down on top of it.

“What’s this?” I ask, closing my book and setting it aside.

“Open it.”

I eye him quizzically, but he doesn’t say anything, so I stand up off of my stool and peek inside. A smile plays on my lips when I see what’s inside.

“A Diplodocus?” I say, pulling the stuffed animal out of the bag.

“Yep.” He’s grinning widely at me, and that smile is contagious. This gift is sickeningly adorable. And I love it.

“Does it also have a name?”

“Maybe,” he says, drawing out the ‘a’ sound.

“What is it?” I ask, pretending to sound worried.

“Dippy.”

I smile at him and then at the gift again. It should seem weird that he got me a gift, but it feels right.

We’re taking things slow, getting to know each other, before we decide what this is between us. We’ve been texting each other quite a bit, and we’ve bumped into each other a couple of times on campus. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t kiss him after we went out for coffee together last week, though. It also doesn’t mean that I don’t lean across the counter now and kiss him. I can’t help it.

He’s ridiculously cute, and he doesn’t complain when I kiss him. He even initiated the kiss the last time that we saw each other, which is when I dropped by his apartment yesterday to see if he had my beanie. It had taken me two weeks to realize that it was gone and then to remember that he had taken it off of me when we first kissed.

I don’t know what we are to each other. For now, we’re just friends who kiss occasionally, but I’m certain that we will someday be something more.


	2. Snow-Covered Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked for a second chapter, and I liked this fic so much that I have decided to write three more chapters. I hope you all like it! <3

**Baz**

It’s snowing, and I almost regret agreeing to come out today as I duck under the awning of the coffee shop where I’m supposed to be meeting Simon. I tighten the scarf around my neck before burying my gloved hands into the pockets of my coat.

I consider stepping inside the coffee shop to wait for Simon where it’s warm, but then I see a huddled figure with familiar, bronze curls headed towards me on the sidewalk. The person looks up and grins openly at me as he too ducks under the awning, only a slight reprieve from the snow. I wonder for a moment why Simon isn’t wearing the beanie that he basically stole from me, but then I see the way that the snowflakes glisten in his hair and decide that I’m not too bothered by it.

“Ready to go in?” I ask, reaching for the door handle.

“Er, this isn’t actually our destination.”

“What?”

“It’s too crowded here. I have a better idea.”

I groan, not wanting to go out in the snow again. I glance inside the shop and see that it is indeed packed in there with other people – mostly college students – trying to get out of the snow.

“It’s not far from here. I promise,” he says, and I can’t say no when he smiles at me like that.

“Fine.”

I decide that I really don’t mind walking through the snow all too much with him as our arms brush against each other when they walk. I wish that we could hold hands, but we still haven’t figured out what we are.

Whenever we hang out, there are always unnecessary touches between us, and it occasionally ends with one of us kissing the other. I’m still not sure what Simon wants, though, and it’s starting to drive me a bit mad as I try to interpret ever touch, every brush of our hands, every lingering glance.

We walk along the sidewalk, and I’m glad that the melted snow has not yet turned into ice. We pass by several buildings, including the bookshop where I work, before we make it to a tiny shop that I have never been to before. The sign above the door reads “Ebb’s Antiques.”

Simon pushes open the door and holds it open for me with a small smile. The shop doesn’t smell as musty as I was expecting it to be. It smells cleaner than the old bookshop that I work at actually. I glance around the small room that we just stepped into. It’s packed with as many shelves as possible without there being a hazard of bumping into them as you walk through so that the shop can hold many items without the risk of anything getting broken.

Simon walks over to the glass counter that runs nearly the entire length of the back of the store, which is not very long at all. I follow slowly, wary of my surroundings, hoping not to bump into anything and having to pay for something that I broke. That probably wouldn’t be the best way to impress Simon.

I am doubtful of this being a good place to hang out. There doesn’t seem to be anyone else here besides us and the woman behind the counter, and I was really looking forward to a hot drink. I stop nearly a foot behind Simon, close enough for it not to be weird but also not too close to him.

“Hey, Ebb,” Simon says to the woman who is working behind the counter. She seems to be carefully looking over a set of ceramic goats, wiping off any dirt or smudges with a cloth and checking for any chips in it. When she’s done looking the one in her hand over, she sets it down and smiles brightly at Simon.

“Snow-covered Snow,” she says wistfully. “How lovely.”

I’m not sure what she means by that, but Simon seems to as his smile widens.

“And who is this?” She asks, her eyes falling on me. I shift my weight as she looks me over. For some reason, I feel like her opinion of me is important.

“This is Baz,” he says, not turning around.

“The boy with the dinosaur name?”

His face turns a light shade of red, a barely-there blush, and he nods. So, he’s talked to her about me. I wonder what he told her.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” she says, holding her hand out.

“Nice to meet you, too,” I say, stepping up to shake her hand. I’ve no idea who this woman is, but she seems rather energetic and kind-hearted, her eyes alight with life.

“There’s stuff in the back for hot chocolate if you boys want some.”

“Awesome. Thanks, Ebb.” Turning to me, he says, “Come on, Baz.” I’m almost certain that I imagine the hand that drags across my back lightly as he steps around me.

I follow him to a door at the back and into a small room that’s set up with a couch, tv, card table, minifridge, and microwave. Simon starts making the cups of hot chocolate over on the cabinets, so I take a seat on the couch and try not to stare, choosing to take in the sight of the room instead.

There’s another door that leads from this room to a different one, probably an office or something. The walls are mostly bare, a light-green color, with a clock hanging above the door that we just came through. This room doesn’t seem like it gets used too often, but Simon appears to know the layout of it pretty well.

It’s warm back here so I remove my hat, gloves, and scarf, but I keep my coat on because I’m not sure how long we’ll be staying here.

When the first cup is ready, Simon brings it over to me. The mug is a light-yellow color with an image of a small cottage on it. I take a sip, the drink warming my cold mouth. When he joins me on the couch a couple of minutes later, we sit in silence for a bit, drinking our hot chocolate.

“So, how do you know Ebb?” I ask curiously.

“She’s my foster mom.”

“Oh.” I say, unsure how else to respond.

The last time that I brought up something that led to a conversation about his mom, it didn’t go too well. That was when he talked about the stuffed dinosaur, and we haven’t talked about either of our families since then. I really don’t want to mess things up with him by doing that again.

He seems to want to talk about it now, though, as he stares down into his much and begins talking.

“My mom died during child birth, and my father abandoned me not long after.”

I wonder for a moment if I should stop him. While we’ve been hanging out a lot, we’ve kept to safer topics, nothing like this. I don’t want him to talk about something that is this painful for him. I should tell him that.

“Simon, you don’t have to tell me this.”

“I know, but I want to. I want you to know things about me.”

My heart begins to race in my chest at his words, and all I can manage is a nod in response.

“No one even knows who they are,” he continues after a moment quietly. “My father dropped me off at a hospital, and all they know is that some guy came up to them, talking crazy about my mom and how he couldn’t take care of a baby on his own. They were going to call for help for him, but when they took me out of his arms, he disappeared. No one saw which way he ran, and no one remembered enough about him for the police to be able to find him. He was just gone.”

He pauses for a moment, and I wait quietly to see if he’ll continue.

“They told all of this to Ebb before she took me in, and she told me when I got older and got curious about where I came from. I bounced around between different care homes for years, but no one wanted me. They thought—. Actually, I don’t know what they thought. I was a kid, and all I knew was that I didn’t have a family, a home.” He takes a breath. He’s staring down into his mug again, not looking at me as he talks. When he speaks again, his voice is almost a whisper. “And then, Ebb came along. I was eleven, and I knew by then that I would likely just age out of the system. I had lost all hope. But then she came one day, and she saw me. There were so many other kids there, but she wanted me.”

His voice breaks on the last word, and I want to reach out to him. I want to reassure him somehow that things are okay now.

“Maybe I should be glad that he didn’t just abandon me somewhere. At least he cared enough to make sure he took me somewhere that I would be safe.” He takes a shaky breath, and I realize that he has started crying.

He laughs after a moment, but there’s no humor in it. “Gosh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry.”

“Shh. It’s okay,” I assure him, setting my mug down on the floor and pulling him into me and stroking his hair.

“Don’t get me wrong. I love Ebb. She’s one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

I don’t say anything. I don’t know what to. I could tell him about my family and how everything isn’t great there, but that wouldn’t be helpful at all, so I just let him talk. And I keep up the soothing motion of running my fingers through his hair, my other arm wrapped around his waist, holding him against my side as he buries his face in my shoulder, hiding his face.

**Simon**

When I finally manage to stop the tears, I sit up and look at him sheepishly. I hadn’t meant to start crying. I just wanted to tell him something more about me than what classes I’m taking this semester. I didn’t realize that I would lose control of my emotions so easily.

I pull away from him, and he removes his hands. I instantly miss his touch, but I can’t say that. I wanted this to be a fun day out where we could possibly approach the subject of this thing – whatever it is – between us. But now that I’ve made a fool of myself, I should wait. I stand up with my mug of hot chocolate and retrieve the remote from the table in the corner of the room, wiping the tears off of my face before turning back to him. Then, I return to the couch, leaving more space between us than before.

“Are you going to keep your coat on?” I ask. I really wish it didn’t sound like I’m trying to get him to undress for my own devices.

His lips twitch lightly, probably at my sudden change in mood before he stands and unbuttons his coat, sliding it off of his shoulders. I realize too late that I’m staring and turn my attention to the television. It’s old and there’s no cable on it, so we’ll have to watch a movie. Then, I remember that I didn’t actually ask him what he wanted to do. Wow, I really do suck at this.

“Uh, I guess I didn’t ask you whether you wanted to hang out here and watch a movie.” I’m really worried that he’ll say that he would rather go home. Especially after that emotional display.

“This is good.”

I let out a quiet breath of relief.

“Okay. Let me go find some movies so that we can pick one.”

**Baz**

I’m only half paying attention to the movie that we chose. I keep glancing at Simon out of the corner of my eye, wishing that I could think of something to say. Except, you aren’t really supposed to talk during movies, so it might be for the best.

I’m not sure how far we are into the movie when the door opens behind us, and Ebb walks in. We left the lights on, and we’re sitting on opposite sides of the couch, so my heart shouldn’t be racing like we just got caught doing something that we shouldn’t have been doing.

Simon pauses the movie and turns to look at her, looking a lot less anxious than I feel.

“I’m going to close up the shop for a bit and head out to meet Annie for lunch. You two are welcome to stay here for a while. I shouldn’t be gone for more than an hour.”

Simon turns to look at me. “It’s up to you. What do you want to do?”

Stay here or go back out in the snow? I’d definitely rather stay here.

“We can stay and finish the movie,” I say. His eyes widen, like he’s surprised by my decision, and then he smiles at me.

“Okay. Well, I shouldn’t be gone too long.” Ebb says, and then she leaves us alone again.

**Simon**

We finish the movie not saying anything else. It’s been almost an hour, but Ebb isn’t back yet.

“Do you want to watch another movie?” I ask him. “Or do you want to leave when Ebb returns?”

I’m really hoping that he wants to stay. We haven’t been talking, but I like spending time with him.

“I don’t mind either way,” he says, giving me the choice this time.

“Alright,” I say, standing up and putting in the sequel to the movie that we just watched. “Do you mind if I turn off the lights?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “Go ahead.”

**Baz**

When he returns to the couch, he sits back in the other corner of the couch. I wish that he was closer so that it didn’t feel like he was trying to put as much space between us as possible. I’m being ridiculous. We’re just friends, so there isn’t a reason for him to sit closer to me. He’s probably just more comfortable on his side.

I place my empty mug down on the floor beside the couch and lean back, trying to keep my eyes on the tv instead of him but failing.

He skips through the previews, and as he settles in, he places his hand down, towards the middle of the couch, too far away from his body for it to be a natural position. I chew on my lip, trying to figure out what I should do. I _want_ to reach over and hold his hand, but I can’t be sure that that’s what he actually wants me to do.

Finally, I give in and slide my hand across so that the pinkie of my right hand just barely brushes against the pinkie of his left hand. When he doesn’t move away, I relax a little, and we stay like that, neither of us moving our hands away or closer together.

After a while, about 20 minutes into the movie, Simon moves, and I’m afraid that he is moving away from me. He is actually turning his hand over so that his palm is face-up, leaving it open for me to decide what to do next, as if we’re doing a quiet dance, waiting for the other to take the next step.

I wait a moment before lightly trailing the tips of my fingers across the palm of his hand, not actually holding it. I trail them around his hand, feather-light, drawing circles over his palm and spiraling designs along his fingers. I continue this for a long time without looking at him, but I can feel his eyes on me. I wonder what is going through his mind as I do this.

Finally, done with the teasing, I flatten my hand against his, resting it there for a moment, preparing to intertwine our fingers.

Then, Simon’s phone rings in his pocket, and I pull my hand away as he scrambles to pause the movie and pull out his phone to see who it is. I keep my eyes glued to the tv, feeling my face warm, and trying not to let my curiosity at who would be calling him show through.

“Hello?” He says into the phone. He listens for a moment before saying, “Is something wrong?”

“Um, no.” He turns to look at me with his eyebrows drawn low over his eyes. “We’ve been in the back watching movies.”

He listens again before pulling his phone slightly away from his away and speaking to me. “She wants us to go look outside.”

I frown at him, confused, but get up anyway and follow him out into the store. It’s dark, the lights turned off, and the sign on the door turned to show that it’s closed.

“Wow,” Simon says, sounding mesmerized. He puts the phone on speaker as we walk towards the door to look out at the street.

The snow has gotten heavier since the last time we were out there, a couple of hours ago, when there was barely more than an inch of snow dusting the ground. It’s piled up in the streets now and on the sidewalk, several inches deep. There is probably ice underneath it, too, making it a bad idea to try to walk out there.

“I’m at the house with Annie,” Ebb’s voice says, drifting through the phone, “and I don’t think that I will be able to get back out to the shop. You all shouldn’t try to go anywhere either,” she adds, as though she thinks that we’re about to step out there and risk it. We probably could, but she’s right, it’s safer to stay inside, especially since the walk back to campus is uphill. “Are you two boys okay there alone?” Simon glances at me, and I nod.

“I think we’ll be fine for now,” he tells her.

“The couch unfolds into a bed. You two will probably be stuck there tonight. I’ll try to get there as early as I can in the morning.” She sounds worried, but I can tell that she’s trying to cover it, feeling like she’s responsible for our safety.

“Okay.”

“Call me if you need anything and stay inside.”

“Alright. We will. Bye, Ebb.”

When he hangs up, he turns to look at me, and I can’t quite read the expression on his face. He seems worried and nervous and something else that I can’t quite name but that makes my heart skip.

I glance back out at the snow, wondering if I should risk it anyway to avoid whatever is going to happen tonight. Spending the night with him when we don’t know what’s happening between us is going to be really interesting, and I’m worried that it will not go well.


	3. You're So Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much @pixiecodesnowbaz for beta reading for me!! <333

**Baz**

Simon yawns for the fifth time in three minutes, and I think that it’s time for us to go to bed. It’s almost midnight, and we’ve been watching movies ever since Ebb left. I think that both of us were trying to avoid having to go to bed, worrying about how it is going to work. There’s only one bed, and neither of us have any clothes to change into.

We scrounged up what we could for dinner earlier, which mostly consisted of popcorn and marshmallows. It’s obvious that no one was meant to spend much time in this room. I guess that we should be happy that the couch even folds out into a bed, or we would have a whole different problem.

He yawns again, and I decide that it’s enough.

“We should go to bed,” I say, turning to him.

“I’m okay,” he says, but he yawns again as he says it, causing me to yawn this time.

“No, you’re not. Come on. We’re both tired. Let’s turn off the movie and pull out the bed.”

He thinks about it for a moment before nodding. He searches for the remote so that he can pause the movie before he gets up to flip on the light.

I blink rapidly at the sudden brightness. We’ve been sitting here in the dark for a long time, and the light seems way too bright now.

I stretch and stand up, pretending not to notice the way that his eyes follow my movement. I’m too tired to try to figure out whether he means anything by it or if his eyes just happened to fall on me at that moment.  

We quietly start working on pulling the cushions of the couch, and Simon pulls on the handle to lift the bed up and out. We unfold it, and there is just barely enough room for us to stand between the end of the bed and the wall. There are no blankets on the bed, though.

Simon sighs, and now that I can see him better, he looks exhausted. We should have gone to bed a long time ago. We probably would have if we both weren’t being so stubborn.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom and change, and then I’ll look for some blankets.”

“You have clothes to change into?” I ask incredulously.

“I’m wearing several layers, so I’m just going to change out of some of them.”

“Oh,” I say, realizing that layers probably would have been a good idea, but I was more worried about looking nice when I met up him than I was about staying warm.

I wore my favorite pair of pants today, which just happen to also be the tightest ones and the ones that look the nicest on me. They are definitely not the kind of pants that I want to sleep in, but I don’t think sleeping without them on right now is the best idea. Basically, I’m screwed.

“I don’t have anything on under these pants.” It takes my exhausted brain a moment to realize that I should have worded that differently.

His eyes rake up and down by body, and I can only imagine what’s going through his head.

“I, uh. I meant that I don’t have any other pants, just my boxers.” I should stop talking now.

“You could just sleep in your boxers,” he suggests like it’s not a big deal. “It would be like wearing shorts, so not much different from what I’ll be wearing.” How is he so calm? Does he not realize that we’ll be sleeping in the same bed tonight? Does this idea not send him into a ball of nerves like it does me?

**Simon**

I’m trying to pretend like this whole thing doesn’t make me feel sick, but I don’t know if I’m doing a very good job. It wouldn’t help anything if I admitted how unsure I feel about tonight. All we’re doing is sleeping in the same bed; I shouldn’t feel this panicked about it.

“I’ll be right back,” I tell him before either of us can say anything to make this moment any more awkward.

When I return, he quietly passes by me and heads to the bathroom. While he’s gone, I search through the cabinets until I find a sheet to go over the mattress. Once I’ve got it pulled over all four corners, I return to the cabinet and manage to find one pillow and one blanket that’s rather thin. This is not going to be a good night.

When Baz returns from the bathroom, I turn to see him standing in the doorway, awkwardly holding the jeans that he was previously wearing, along with his shoes. He’s wearing a long-sleeved black that clings to his body, leaving nothing to the imagination. I hadn’t noticed it before because he was wearing a jacket under his coat, but now I can barely keep myself from staring.

My mouth goes dry as my eyes fall on his bare legs, and I immediately turn my eyes away from him, trying not to think about how much I can see of him now that he isn’t wearing the jacket to keep out the cold. I carry the single pillow and blanket over to the bed while he sets his clothes down on the card table.

Of course, Ebb probably didn’t think that anyone would ever actually need to stay here, so she just kept the bare minimum in the room. I stall for a moment so that I don’t have to immediately face Baz again. I don’t know how I’m supposed to tell him that there isn’t enough here for us to both be comfortable tonight, and I can’t help but feel bad about it, like this is all my fault.

I take a deep breath looking back up at him. He’s standing beside it now, looking uncomfortable in just his underwear. I do my best not to stare down at his bare legs again as I spread the blanket across the bed.

“There’s only one pillow,” I say quietly, setting it on the side of the bed that he is standing next to.

“You can have it.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s my fault you’re stuck here.”

“How is it your fault?” He asks, his brows scrunching up together.

“I brought you here instead of the coffee shop, and then I suggested that we stay and watch movies. If we had left, we wouldn’t be stuck here together.” That sounds worse than I meant it to, and if his frown is anything to go by, he thinks so too. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that we’re stuck. I don’t mind that it’s with you. I mean—.” I’m getting flustered now, and everything I say just makes it worse. “I’m just going to stop talking now.”

He’s looking at me with raised brows and an amused smile now. “I don’t blame you for us being stuck here. You couldn’t have predicted that we would get snowed in, and I was the one who said that I wanted to stay here when Ebb left, so it’s just as much my fault as it is yours.” I open my mouth to say something else, but he stops me with a shake of his head and says, “I don’t mind that it’s you that I’m stuck with either.”

My face is burning, and my heart picks up its pace as I fight back a stupid grin. I really like this guy, and I don’t know if he feels the same way. Sleeping next to him in this bed might just kill me.

We continue to stand there, facing each other across the bed, neither of us knowing what to do next.

“So,” Baz says, clearing his throat. “Bed?”

“Yeah,” I respond quietly, looking down. Neither of us moves, though.

We both laugh at how awkward this is.

“Come on,” he says finally. “I’ll get the light.”

**Baz**

I feel bad that I’m the only one with a pillow, but I can’t suggest that we share because that would mean us lying right next to each other. I don’t think that I could handle that.

I move my arm to settle in the middle of the bed, and he moves his to press up against it. I smile to myself in the dark, and I fall sleep surprisingly easily for being in a strange place.

***

I wake in the middle of the night, and it’s freezing. It seems to have gotten even colder than it was when we fell asleep. My arm is still pressed against Simon’s in the middle of the bed, and I can’t have been asleep for that long. He’s warm, so I press my arm a little more into his, trying to draw in some of that heat.

“Mm,” Simon says quietly, stirring.

“Sorry,” I whisper. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s ‘kay,” he murmurs, still half-asleep. “S’freezing.” He starts to shuffle around, trying to pull the blanket around him tighter, which requires him to move his arm away from mine, and I shiver at the loss of his heat.

“Baz?” He whispers.

“Hm?”

“Just checking to see if you were still awake.”

“Too cold to sleep,” I murmur.

“Come closer,” Simon whispers, and I’m sure that I heard him wrong.

“What?”

“Just come closer.”

“Why?”

He sighs, and then I hear him moving until I can feel him right next to me, our arms pressed up against each other again. “Warmer?”

“Not really.” I say, even though I can feel a flush run up my neck at his proximity.

“Roll over,” he says after a moment, so quiet that I almost don’t hear him.

“What?”

“Roll over,” he repeats again, rolling onto his side to face me.

“Why?” Apparently, I’m not capable of saying anything else right now. Everything he says sounds absurd.

“I-I’m going to press my, uh, my body into yours. So that we can share our heat,” he adds. At least, he sounds as nervous about this.

“W-what?” I hope he chalks up the stutter to me being cold.

“It’s this or we have to go in search of the thermostat, which requires getting out of the warm blanket.”

I think about if for a moment, but the choice is easy. There is no way that I am getting out of the bed and stepping into the colder air. I refuse to admit that part of the reason for staying here is so that I can still lie close to him. I’m trying not to make this weird. We’re just friends, lying together for warmth. It’s nothing else.

“Okay,” I sigh quietly before rolling onto my side. Slowly, I feel him edge even closer to me until his chest is pressed up against my back. His arm comes to wrap around my waist, and I feel a rush of heat go through my entire body at just this small touch. Next, he presses his legs in behind mine, and he covers one of my feet with both of his. His body feels impossibly warm, and I don’t want him to ever move away from me.

“Warmer?” He asks again, his breath ghosting over my ear and making me shiver, but not from the cold again.

“Yes,” I breath.

I move my arm to overlap his, lining up our fingers, and I start to relax, leaning back into his body. I can feel his warm breath on my neck, and it tickles slightly but is comforting. I start to feel my eyes drift shut, as the tension leaves my body and the heat of his body starts to warm me up. I fall asleep again, this time in his arms, but not without worrying what the consequences of this will be in the morning.

**Simon**

When I wake again, there is a little bit of light coming in through the small window. I’m pressed up against something warmer, and I start to move closer the source of the heat, wrapping my arm around it tighter. It takes me a sleepy moment to remember that the thing that I’m wrapped around is a person. That it’s Baz.

I freeze for a moment, wondering if I should pull away and give him some space. I really don’t want to, though, because he’s warm, and the air outside of the blanket is still cold. I decide to stay put, telling myself that it’s because I don’t want to wake him up and not for any other reason. I rest my head on the pillow that we came to be sharing sometime during the night and listen to his steady breathing.

I’m not sure how long I lie like that before he begins to stir. He stretches, and I remove my arm from around him, but I don’t do anything else to move away from him. He starts to turn over so that he is facing me, and I still don’t move away.

His face is barely inches away from mine now since we’re still sharing the pillow, and all I can think about is leaning forward and kissing him. I don’t know if I should. I don’t know if he would want me to.

We’ve kissed a couple of times before, but we never talked about it. We never talked about what it meant. And we’ve never kissed while lying in a bed together, only half-dressed and still half-asleep.

“Good morning,” he murmurs. His eyes are still heavy with sleep, and I have an inexplicable urge to reach out and run my fingers across his cheek.

“Morning,” I respond with a soft smile, keeping my hands to myself.

We continue to lie there for a minute before I tentatively reach out my hand to rest on his side. He startles slightly, and I murmur an apology, beginning to pull my hand away.

“It’s okay. Your hand is just really cold.”

“Oh,” I think about it for a moment before deciding to leave my hand there.

Then, he reaches a hand out and rests it on the side of my neck, his thumb brushing over my pulse point. I feely my eyes flutter shut, and I fight to keep my breathing under control.

“I want to kiss you,” he whispers, like he’s asking permission.

I open my eyes to look at him, and he’s staring at my lips. We’ve never asked to kiss each other before. This is something new for us. Something different.

“Then, kiss me,” I whisper back with a slight nod, and he does.

He presses forward, his lips finding mine, and I move my hand up from his waist to run my fingers through his hair. He hums against my lips as I do, and it’s a beautiful sound.

The kiss starts out slow and gentle, but as we both start to wake up, it becomes more hurried, both of us pushing against each other, searching for more.

I push myself up on one elbow so that I can hover above him and deepen the kiss. I run my tongue over his lips, and he allows me entrance, our tongues swirling lazily around each other. His thumb is running back and forth across my jaw, a soft movement that feels really nice.

We gently move together, soft, lingering touches, just barely grazing each other’s skin and pulling lightly at each other’s hair, with quiet moans and silent gasps. I lean down until we’re lying chest to chest, and I’m hyperaware of the fact our crotches are nearly pressed together. If he were to move even just a bit, he would feel my growing erection. Embarrassed and not wanting to risk making him uncomfortable and trying to avoid making this any weirder, I pull away and lie back down on my side, fighting for control and trying to get my breathing back to normal.

I’m worried about just pulling away, but I feel like anything else would ruin this thing between us, this easy friendship that just barely borders on being more. I don’t want to lose this just because I caught too eager during our kissing.

“I’m going to go get dressed and search for the thermostat so that I can warm it up in here,” I say, determinedly not looking at him. I don’t want to see whatever expression he is wearing. Then, I turn and leave the room, leaving him lying there, staring after me.

**Baz**

After we’ve both gotten redressed and folded the bed back up – all in complete silence – I decide that I’ve had enough. We have to talk. I can’t keep going on wondering what this is.

He practically ran away after I kissed him, and now he can barely look at me. I’m not sure what I did to mess this up, but I realize that I don’t want to lose him. Even if it’s just as friends, I want him in life.

“I think that we should talk about this,” he says, beating me to it. A part of me thinks that this can’t be good. “Us.”

“What about us?” I know that I’m being difficult, but I’m worried that he’s going to say that he doesn’t want to be with me. I’m willing to just be his friend, but if that’s all that we’re going to be, I need him to stop sending me these mixed signals.

“What are we?”

“Friends,” I say, oversimplifying it.

“That’s it?” He sounds disappointed, but I don’t let myself get my hopes up.

“Is that all you want it to be?”

“I–. I don’t know. I like this, what we’re doing hanging out and–and…” He drifts off. He can’t even say it. “But I don’t want to…” He drifts off again.

“We can be just friends. If that’s what you want. Don’t worry about it.”

“Baz—.”

“It’s okay. I get it. You don’t have to tell me that you don’t want this. I can see it from how uncomfortable you are.”

I walk away from him, needing space, so I head out of this room and to the door of the shop so that I can get out of here, but then I remember that we are still trapped here. We won’t be able to leave until someone comes by to clear the streets, and who knows when that will be. I’m going to be stuck in this place with someone who will kiss me but doesn’t want to be with me.

I shouldn’t be so upset, but I am. I’m willing to be just friends, but I don’t understand any of it. I don’t understand why he would kiss me so many times and have it mean nothing to him. What was he thinking during all of this? Was it just for fun?

I need some space to think about this, about what it all meant to him, before I can be just friends with him. If only I could just get out of here.


	4. I'm Simon's....Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to finish the fic! I hope you all like it!
> 
> Thank you so much @pixiecodesnowbaz for beta reading for me!

**Baz**

“Baz, wait.”

I don’t have a choice but to turn and look at Simon. I don’t have anywhere to go. He has this weird gleam in his eyes, and I decide that I don’t want to hear whatever it is that he has to say. I shake my head at him and walk around him back to the little room that we slept in.

“Let’s just go watch a movie or something until we can get out of here.”

I don’t look to see if he’s following me. I just walk in and take a seat on one end of the couch. I clench and unclench my fists, trying to calm down. I don’t want to sit here with him and pretend like everything is fine, but I don’t have a choice. I don’t want to be mad at him for rejecting me, but I am mad at him for leading me on.

I don’t look at him as he comes into the room and puts in another movie. A part of me wants to know where all of these movies are coming from, but I don’t ask him. I keep my eyes locked on the screen, but I don’t watch what’s playing on it.

I’m hyperaware of every movement that Simon makes while we watch the movie. Every shift, every breath, every tap of his fingers on the arm of the couch opposite of me. He starts bouncing his leg up and down, and I don’t think that he’s even aware of it. He seems nervous, and the part of me that cares for him wants to ask him if he’s alright. I keep my lips sealed and cross my arms, holding them close to my body.

The bouncing of his leg starts to pick up pace before stopping suddenly. Then, the movie pauses, and I feel him turn to face me. I still don’t look at him. I can’t.

Why can’t he just finish out the movie? It’s almost over. Maybe someone has come through to clear the roads.

“Baz,” he says softly. I ignore him, even though it feels childish. When he realizes that I’m not going to respond he continues. “Would you let me finish what I was trying to say?”

“Why?” I ask, still not looking at him. “You said that you didn’t want this. What else is there to say?”

“That isn’t what I was trying to say. I know that I’m bad with words, especially when it comes to something that I want, but I’m trying. I just need you to give me a chance to explain.”

He said that he wants this, and I start to hope. I hate how hopeful I am, but I want this, so I’m willing to give him that chance. I sigh, relaxing arms, and turn to face him. He scoots closer to me, and I still in response.

“I’m listening.”

“I was trying to say that I don’t want this to end. I don’t want to ruin this friendship with you. I like you – I _really_ like you – but I like being your friend, too, and I don’t want to ruin that.”

He looks sincere, his eyes wide and so blue. I want to believe him. He likes me, and he doesn’t want to lose me. I feel bad for overreacting earlier.

“I like being your friend, too,” I say slowly, “but from day one, we’ve been more than that.”

His cheeks flush a light pink color as he remembers that day that we first kissed. We were never just friends. We were two people who were afraid to admit their feelings for each other but who feel for each other the moment that their eyes met. There was never a chance of us being just friends.

“I want us to be more than friends but only if that’s what you want, too.” He has to want this.

“I want that,” Simon says, moving even closer on the couch, and I move to meet him in the middle.

His hand comes up to rest on the side of my face, and my hands gravitate towards his waist, wrapping around him to pull him closer to me.

“I want this,” he whispers, leaning in until our faces are only a few inches apart. “I want to be your boyfriend.”

“I want to be yours, too,” I reply, not even trying to keep the grin off of my face.

I lean in, our lips almost touching now. I want to kiss him. I’m going to kiss him.

**Simon**

“Can I kiss you?” I ask. I want to be sure. I have to be sure that this what we both want because I don’t want to lose him. I like him to much. I don’t think that I’ve ever fallen for anyone this fast or this hard before. There’s something special about Baz, and I want him to stay in my life.

“Yes,” he whispers, his breath ghosting over my cheek.

I slide my hand from his cheek to the back of his neck and pull him in closer, my lips brushing across his just barely as I relish the feeling. He sighs at the touch, and I hum in response before leaning in to kiss him for real.

“Hey, boys!” A voice calls.

Baz jerks away from me just before our lips meet, moving back to his side of the couch, and I groan inwardly as Ebb walks into the room. Couldn’t she have just waited a few more minutes?

**Baz**

“Hey, Ebb,” Simon says.

He’s blushing, but other than that, he doesn’t seem too torn up about the fact that we were just interrupted before we could kiss. I, on the other, can barely sit still. All I want to do is pounce on him, pulling him into my arms and kissing him until he’s breathless. I hold myself back, though, as they talk.

“The roads have been cleared. Annie and I were able to get here alright, so you two should be able to make it back to your apartments. I can give you a ride.”

Simon glances at me, then says, “It isn’t too far. We can walk. If that’s okay with you,” he adds, looking at me again.

More alone time with Simon before we part? Of course, that’s okay. “Yeah. That’s fine.”

“If you two are sure,” Ebb says, looking at us like we’re crazy for wanting to walk. The snow has stopped, but it’s still freezing out there. “I doubt too many people will be out today, so I’m not going to open the store. We just came to see if you boys were alright and make sure you get back safe.”

Simon stands and moves toward the door to head back out into the store, and I follow after them.

Standing there in the middle of the store is a woman who must be Annie. She wears a long tan coat over a light blue shirt and a long, flowing, white skirt that brushes the top of her boots. Her dark hair is pulled into two long braids with flowers woven into them that hang over her shoulders.

She smiles brightly when she sees Simon and pulls him into a tight hug.

“Hey, Simon,” she says. “How have you been? How’s school?

“I’m good. School’s good.”

“I’m glad,” she says genuinely. Then, she turns to me. “And who’s this?”

“I’m Baz. I’m Simon’s…” I don’t know who Annie is to him, and I’m not sure whether he wants her and Ebb to know about us, so I just settle on, “Friend.”

She smiles even wider before pulling me into a hug, too. It takes me off guard, and I don’t move until she releases me.

“Boyfriend,” Simon says suddenly. “He’s my boyfriend now. As of this morning actually.” His cheeks are turning a light shade of pink, but he looks happy. Ebb looks only mildly surprised as she looks between the two of us.

“Oh,” the woman says, turning back to me. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Annie. I’m Ebb’s wife.”

“She’s also the person who tired to keep me from coming today. She insisted on coming with me, which I told her was a stupid idea since if we both got hurt

“I was worried about you, and I wanted to make sure that you weren’t trying to speed like you usually do. Honestly, Ebb, I don’t what you’d do without me.”

“And I’d prefer not to think about that, darling.”

They’re so cute as they smile lovingly at each other. I can only hope that I’ll be that happy and in love someday.

They begin walking towards the door, talking quietly to each other, so I slip my coat on and step up beside Simon as he follows behind them.

“Do you want to hang out at my place?” I ask him quietly. “My roommate probably isn’t there. We’ll have the place to ourselves. Plus

“A bed?”

“That––. That’s not what I meant. I just meant––. It’s warm. And comfortable. And I should shut up.”

“Mm. You’re cute when you’re flustered. The tips of your ears turn red, and you start running your fingers through your impeccable hair, making it fall in your face. It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful.” He walks toward me as he talks until we’re standing chest-to-chest. As he says the word beautiful the second time, he brings his hand up to cup the side of my face, rubbing it softly with his them. Gosh, I want to kiss him.

“So, you want to get out of here?” I ask, suddenly breathless.

He chuckles lightly. It’s a beautiful sound.

“Yeah, I do. Let’s go.”

He takes my hand and pulls me toward the door, a smile on his face.

We say goodbye to Ebb and Annie, and after assuring them that we can walk, we watch as they drive away. As soon as they’ve turned the corner and are out of sight, Simon’s releasing my hand and pushing me backward until I hit the wall, standing under the awning of the store. He pushes in closer and closer until his lips are on mine, kissing me.

It’s soft and gentle, a promise of more to come. I hum against his lips, and he smiles. This is nice, and I want more of this with him. But not right now because I can barely feel my fingers.

“Let’s go,” I tell him. He smiles at me again, and I can’t help it. I kiss him again. It’s a quick kiss, but it’s enough.

“Okay,” he says, his smile widening.

I want to tell him that he’s beautiful, too, but it might sound like I’m just being repetitive. I could instead tell him about the way that the light bouncing off of his makes is shine red and gold or the way that his blue eyes light up when he’s talking about something he cares about, like when he was telling me about dinosaurs or when he was telling me about the archaeology class that he’s taking. I could tell him either of these things, but then it might sound weird.

“You okay?” He asks as we walk slowly down the sidewalk. It’s still a little icy, and I have to focus on taking careful steps so that I don’t fall. His hand on my arm is keeping me steady, though.

“I’m good, why?”

“You just have a strange look on your face.”

“You just…You look... I like you, and you’re cute.” I can feel my face burning, but I don’t care because I really like him and want him to know.

He laughs again, and I plan to make him do that a lot more. I plan to spend a lot of time making him smile and making him laugh and making his eyes do that little crinkly thing when he’s fighting a smile like he’s doing right now. The smile wins over, and I return it as

When he walked into the bookstore that day a few weeks ago, I never could have imagined that things would turn out like this.


End file.
